Cardiorespiratory Fitness and High Levels of non-HDL-cholesterol

Previous papers show that there is an inverse relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and coronary heart disease. Recent papers further suggest that non-HDL-cholesterol (non-HDL-C) is a good marker of coronary heart disease risk. However, few studies are available on the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and high levels of non-HDL-C. PURPOSE:To investigate the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and high levels of non-HDL-C among Japanese men. METHODS:We evaluated cardiorespiratory fitness and incident development of high levels of non-HDL-C in 6,548 Japanese men [median (IQR) age 36 (30-44) years] who were free from high levels of non-HDL-C. Participants were given a submaximal exercise test, a medical examination, and questionnaires on their health habits in 1986. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured using a cycle ergometer and maximal oxygen uptake was estimated. Incident development of high levels of non-HDL-C (≥ 170 mg/dL) from 1986 to 2006 was ascertained based on fasting blood levels. During follow-up 1,664 participants developed high levels of non-HDL-C. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the incidence of high levels of non-HDL-C were obtained using Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS:Following age adjustment, and using the lowest cardiorespiratory fitness group (quartile I) as reference, the hazard ratios for quartiles II through IV were: 0.94 (0.83-1.07), 0.69 (0.60-0.80), 0.62 (0.53-0.72), respectively; p for trend < 0.001. After additional adjustment for body mass index, cigarette smoking, and alcohol intake, the hazard ratios were: 0.99 (0.88-1.13), 0.77 (0.67-0.89), 0.73 (0.63-0.86), respectively; p for trend < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS:These results show that there is an inverse relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness level and high non-HDL-C in Japanese men.